Homeschool Review: Love, Honor, and Virtue (Great Waters Press) #hsreviews #raisingrealmen #halandmelanie #boymom #tweens #homeschooling

I have been a fan of Hal and Melanie Young for more years than I can remember.  Long before I knew them as the heart behind Great Waters Press, I knew them as the folks who encouraged me to make sure that I was raising a real man as I survived, taught, and learned to appreciate my favorite son.  (I can call him that because he's my ONLY son.  He landed third in order as our "often neglected middle child" following two older sisters and in front of a younger sister and opened my eyes to a whole new way of doing things.  Boys are just a different machine altogether, and I sure am proud to have one.)  I have trusted the Young's advice for years, so I was eager to hear what they had to say about Biblical sexuality in their audiobook  Love, Honor, and Virtue:  Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality.

Written directly to young men in the target ages of 12 - 20s, Love, Honor, and Virtue encourages guys to walk in integrity as they make deliberate effort to keep their way pure and resist the lure of the devil.  For purposes of review, I have listened to the audiobook by myself, but I will be requesting that my son (19-years-old) spend some time listening to it as well.  One thing that is important to note:  the audiobook is read by Hal Young, himself.  This is important for me to point out because I think that a book read by the author is MUCH more interesting than a book read by others.  Hal Young is engaging and interesting -- and he speaks with sincere authority from a genuine heart that aims to help young men be the man that GOD created them to be.  As the father of six boys, I know that he truly wants what is best for mine.  I appreciate his heart to help all of our sons be men of honor.

Love, Honor, and Virtue begins with the reminder that "you have to fight the war you have, not the war you want to have."   In it, Young states that there is a war going on for the hearts of young men through temptations that attack their spiritual purity.   The world is throwing itself at them faster than they can process.  satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy us all and he targets the family.  The battle is real and it is personal.  Our boys will either be WARRIORS or they will be victioms.  It is our duty to equip them so that they can be VICTORIOUS WARRIORS.  And just how do we equip them for victory?

Throughout the chapters of Love, Honor, and Virtue, guys learn that sex was GOD's perfect idea -- within the safety confines of marriage.  HE designed it to be a beautiful expression of love between a husband and a wife and the Youngs explain it as GOD intended.  Detailed information is shared about how and why sex matters, what happens when a husband and wife are intimate, and how and why satan aims to pervert it all.  Purity is not always an easy choice for a young man to make.  For example, when we were growing up, the media had tougher ratings standards.  What would have been considered R- or even X-rated programming when I was a teenager is now considered PG or PG-13.  It is much more difficult to guard your heart and hide your eyes these day.  The addition of smart phones to our daily lives has made it even more necessary for parents to prepare their sons for the battle of their hearts.  A swipe of the screen or the click of a button can send you spiraling down a crooked hole before you even realize where you are.

Love, Honor, and Virtue addresses how boys can face the battle of the world themselves and offers suggestions on how to strategize their defense plan.  I really like the 5-Point Defense System that teaches our sons how to knock away a bad situation:

1. When temptations arise, remove yourself from the situation.  RUN, don't walk, away from a place that tries to knock down your defenses.
2. PRAY and ask GOD for help.  HE is always there for you.
3. Read your Bible.  When a tempting situation arises, climb into the WORD of GOD and let it be your protection.  This is easy if you have your Bible with you, but it is not so easy when you are on your own in the world without your SWORD in hand.  Hal Young encourages boys to memorize Scripture and hide it deep in their heart so that they will always have GOD's WORD at the ready.  Scripture is our sharpest weapon against satan and if we have it buried in our hearts, the HOLY SPIRIT can bring it to our mind when we need a reminder.
4.  Sing praises.  
5. Go to your authority.  Your parents really are for you and not against you.  Knowing that satan will try to throw temptations your way, find someone to hold you accountable for your thought life and help you to protect your eyes, your mind, and your heart from the evil of the world.

Our sons are being blasted from all sides as satan works to destroy them.  We owe it to them to help prepare their hearts for the battles ahead.  I want my son to be VICTORIOUS through CHRIST and I appreciate the advice offered in Love, Honor, and Virtue:  Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality.  I'm happy to share this audiobook with him.  It is full of practical advice that I believe will make a difference in the husband and father he will one day be.

For more information about Love, Honor, and Virtue:  Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality and other offerings from Great Waters Press, please visit the following Social Media sites:

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I was given the opportunity to review Love, Honor, and Virtue:  Gaining or Regaining a Biblical Attitude Toward Sexuality from Great Waters Press as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew.   You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought of this audiobook (or just click on the banner below.)

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